Farmington entered the 5A state tournament as the No. 1 seed and after a bye won its matchup with Orem to advance to the quarterfinals. Bountiful and Viewmont won their first-round games before ending their seasons in the second round. Woods Cross lost to eventual quarterfinalist Skyline in the first round. Davis lost to Pleasant Grove in the second round of the 6A state tournament to end their year. 

Farmington

Top-seeded Farmington had a bye in the first round of the 5A state tournament before facing No. 16 Orem and winning 49-33 Feb. 25. The Phoenix squad got out to a 33-12 lead in the first half before scoring 16 more points through the final 16 minutes of play to win.

“It was a hard physical game, but we played great defense which made all the difference,” head coach Van Price said. 

Valerie Kunzler hit three 3-pointers and had 12 points to lead Farmington while Delaney Baker added 11.

“Delaney was double and triple teamed and had to battle the physical play, but still was able to make nine-of-12 from the free throw line,” Price said.

Abigail Ferrell added seven points, Amber Beddes seven, Haley McFarland four, Carly Warenski two, Brooklyn Marchant two, Courtney Christiansen two and Whitney Avei two. Baker led on the boards with eight rebounds along with seven from Beddes and six from McFarland.
“We were able to play a lot of subs and give several girls a state tournament experience so it was a fun game,” Price said.

Farmington was scheduled to face No. 9 Skyline March 2 in the quarterfinals.

Davis

Sixth-ranked Davis had a first round bye in the 6A state tournament before losing to No. 11 Pleasant Grove 29-24 on Feb. 25 in the second round. Both teams put in just four points each during the first eight minutes of play in the low-scoring affair. The Darts were down four at half but evened things up going into the fourth.

“It was a defensive battle and had all the excitement and hype of a state game,” head coach Anne Jones said. “PG is a great team and very well balanced with good shooters on the perimeter and a strong presence in the post. Both teams played hard and with a lot of energy. Unfortunately for us, the ball just didn’t bounce our way down the stretch. We had a few opportunities to hold onto the lead but made some mistakes that cost us the game.”

Callie Tolman and Sierra Passey led Davis in scoring with six points each. The Darts finished the year 16-5.

  “We are super proud of this team this season,” Jones said. “We returned just one starter and two others with any varsity experience. Every player worked hard and improved and as a team we accomplished so many fantastic things this season despite all the disruptions and juggling that had to be done because of COVID. To be 16-5 is just awesome.”

Bountiful

No. 8 seed Bountiful defeated 25th-ranked Hillcrest 63-35 Feb. 23 in the first round of the 5A state tournament, coming strong out of the gate to lead by 13 at halftime. The Braves scored 32 more points to rout the Huskies.

“We pulled off the win in a game that wasn’t as lopsided as the score makes it out to be,” head coach Joel Burton said. “All game long we would pull ahead and then they would close the gap. A good portion of the game was only a 12 or 14 point lead.”

Jordyn Harvey drilled three 3-pointers and led Bountiful with 16 points while Emrie Satuala put in 15. Also scoring for the Braves were Lizzy McConkie (nine points), Riley Johnson (five), Esther Broom (five), Hayley Smith (four), Asia Grant (three), Hailey Fouts (two), Claire Cook (two) and Evi Chism (two). Burton also noted the “really good job” Broom did defensively on Hillcrest’s best player. 

Against ninth-seeded Skyline in the second round Feb. 25, Bountiful again flew out to a fast start – going up 20-8 – before heading into the break with a 32-25 lead. The Braves managed just 14 points the rest of the way in a 50-46 loss to end its year.

“We played well, we just didn’t win,” head coach Joel Burton said. “They made two big threes at the end of the game. I’ve got to just give them credit.”

Harvey again had 16 points to lead Bountiful with Satuala adding 14. McConkie (six points), Chism (four), Johnson (two), Cook (two) and Broom (two) were also offensive contributors.

The Braves had a 15-8 overall mark for the 2020-21 season.

Viewmont

Tenth-seeded Viewmont beat No. 23 Alta 52-30 Feb. 23 in the first round of the 5A state tournament, holding the Hawks to just 12 points in the first half – while scoring 37 points. The spread helped the Vikings overcome just a two-point output in the third quarter before they bounced back with 13 points to end the blowout win.

“We’re playing our best right now defensively,” head coach Roger Farnsworth said. “If we keep shooting well we always have a chance.”

Emma Lindsey and Grace MacKay had 11 points each to lead the way for Viewmont. Also contributing offensively were Lauren Weir with seven points, Emma Mulitalo seven, Kalee Smith five, Kaisley Larsen four and Kristina Gunnell three.

Against seventh-seeded Timpview Feb. 25 in the second round of the 5A state tournament, the Vikings struggled to score in the first quarter and were down 9-0 after the first eight minutes of play and then 37-9 at half. A 27-point effort in the second half wasn’t enough in Viewmont’s 65-36 loss to the Thunderbirds.

“We had a great year and played amazing basketball until the last game,” Farnsworth said. “Thanks to our two seniors Emma and Kaisley.”

Lindsey led the way with 14 points while Mulitalo (eight points), MacKay (eight), Smith (two), Lissia Silva (two) and Larsen (two) also scored. The Vikings finished the season with a 15-9 record.

Woods Cross

No. 24 Woods Cross’ season ended with a loss to ninth-ranked Skyline 44-37 Feb. 23 in the first round of the 5A state tournament. The Wildcats held a two-point advantage after the first quarter before being knotted up at 21 with the Eagles at the break. A seven-point third quarter put Woods Cross down eight heading into the final period before Skyline closed out the game.

“We felt like we played a pretty good game against a really good team,” head coach David Simon said. “We were able to get to the basket, but as a team we struggled to consistently make shots from the perimeter. Once again, I was so proud of the effort  that the girls gave and how hard they played. That has been the one consistent thing about this team all year. Never was their lack of effort.”

Sofia Mokofisi scored 16 points while Annie Michaelis also added double figures with 11 points. Kenna Cowley (four points), Emily Muhlestein (two) and Kelly King (two) also scored for the Wildcats.

“This was a really fun group of girls,” Simon said. “I can’t believe the amount of focus and effort that we continued to get from the girls as we fought through a tough season in terms of wins and losses. My hope is that all the girls know how much our coaching staff cares and works hard for them. It is about them and our coaching staff was working to put the girls in a position to succeed. And, completely to the girls’ credit, they did everything that we asked of them and probably more. As a head coach, I am very lucky to have had a team like that and a staff that did the same. Woods Cross finished the season with a 5-14 record.

“I’m very very proud of our team this year,” Simon said. “I am also so happy that we were able to even have a season under the current circumstances and very happy for the girls to have been able to play this season.”